Emotional Hick ready to bow out

Graeme Hick struggled to hold back the tears after admitting "my time is up" as he announced his retirement from county cricket after 25 seasons with Worcestershire.

But the 42-year-old admitted he may be open to offers from the rebel Indian Cricket League next season.

The former England batsman said: "I felt it was right to finish. I had a feeling at the start of the year that it was going to be my last year."

He added: "I just wanted to wait until a bit later in the year just to make sure it was the right decision. I think there are guys in the dressing room who need to start playing first-team cricket and my time is up.

"A few weeks ago I was sitting at Cheltenham during the four-day game and I felt it was time to go."

Hick has decided to end his playing career with the Royals at the end of the current campaign after 136 first-class centuries and 41,112 first-class runs, in addition to a prolific record in one-day cricket

Hick insisted: "It is not a physical thing. I have got this problem with my elbow at the moment which has come on from the keyhole surgery I had early in the season.

"Surprisingly, after the back injuries in the mid-1990s, in the last few years I've felt better than during that period. I don't know why. Maybe the body got hardened to it more and I've trained a lot over the years.

"It is not a physical choice at the moment but, from how my body feels, it will have been harder to get through a full season next year and I felt I wouldn't want to start the year and pack up halfway through the season.

"I felt it was the right time. It was an emotional decision."